


Traveling Through Time

by starksphere



Series: After Endgame [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Steve returns the stones, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-02-16 12:59:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18691984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starksphere/pseuds/starksphere
Summary: 2023 Steve Rogers begins his journey to return all the Infinity Stones after the Battle. During his journey, he meets several familiar faces and some new ones.





	1. Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to do a series of Steve returning the Infinity Stones so here we are!  
> But (SPOILER ALERT) Tony Stark lives, and as you saw in my previous work, Steve ultimately comes back to the future, instead of staying in the past with Peggy. Think of this as a semi-prequel to "To the End," because Steve returns the Space Stone last.

“…Going Quantum in 3…2…1…”

Within a second, Tony’s voice was gone.

Steve was soon sucked into the Quantum Realm again. He decided to return the Mind Stone first because it was one of the easiest and because he wanted to visit 2012 New York one more time. He landed in an empty room in the Avengers Tower. It was very quiet—it seemed like no one was around. Steve silently existed the room and headed to the elevator, to get to the 14th floor.

As the elevator went up, Steve wondered what happened to 2012 Loki, since he stole the Tesseract in this timeline. Bruce told him changing the past doesn’t change the future—it just creates another reality, but then does that mean there was already another reality created, the one Loki escaped from the Avengers’ grasp. Steve shook his head. Time travel was confusing…and complicated.

The elevator arrived at the 14th floor, and it was thankfully deserted. Looking around, Steve walked out of the elevator and proceeded to the place where him and his past self fought. It was taken here, so he should just leave the Mind Stone somewhere around—

“…You shouldn’t be here.”

A voice said behind Steve. Steve froze, afraid to turn around. The voice sounded familiar…too familiar. He slowly turned around, and he was met with the younger version of himself again.

“Oh, you gotta be shitting me,” Steve said it again.

Was it too much to ask to return the Mind Stone without being seen by his past self? He knew he couldn’t fight this one out like last time.

“…He doesn’t sound like Loki, if you ask me,” another familiar voice rose from the side of the room. Tony Stark from 2012 stared into the eyes of Steve from 2023. Steve sighed. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Soon, he was surrounded by the Avengers—Natasha, Thor, Bruce, and Clint. They all aimed their weapons at Steve.

“I’m not Loki, for god’s sake,” Steve said with frustration. “Loki disappeared with the Tesseract.”

“…Then who are you?” 2012 Steve asked, ready to take future Steve down if he ever attempted to run.

Steve didn’t know how to answer his past self’s question. If he tells him the truth, would we create an alternate timeline? But another timeline already existed because Loki escaped from the Avengers. Steve sighed.

“Steve Rogers. From 2023,” Steve said. Tony’s eyes narrowed—time travel? Really?

“You expect us to believe that? That you’re from the future?” Tony asked.

“…Howard said his greatest creation is you,” Steve said, locking his eyes with Tony’s. He tightened his grip on the briefcase. He can’t let the Avengers see what’s in it—at least not before they let their guards down.

Tony stared at this man, who looked exactly like Steve Rogers standing next to him. He may looked a bit older, but it was definitely him. Loki would not be able to pull off Steve Rogers for this long. His eyes reflected honesty, and that only became clear when Steve said what Howard told him through an old video two years ago. There’s no way a random person could’ve known that. He, his future self, must’ve told him in later years.

“What did he say?” Clint asked, still aiming his bow at older Steve with suspicion.

“…He’s not Loki,” Tony said. “He’s…well, he’s Steve Rogers.”

2012 Steve stared at his older self. He didn’t look much older physically—but there was a look that told him his future was going to be rough. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing in front of the Avengers at all. His mind then flashed back to what older Steve told him earlier before knocking him out—Bucky is alive. If this was really his future self, then that must be true, too. But, how?

“You said Bucky is alive,” 2012 Steve said. “Did you mean that?”

Older Steve bit his lip. Of course his younger self wants to know about Bucky. He was losing the fight against his self and he knew mentioning Bucky would throw himself off the rails. Steve really didn’t think about the consequences of letting it slip. Now he was here, facing the Avengers.

“Yes,” 2023 Steve said. “He’s…”

If he wanted to, he could use the Mind Stone or the Reality Stone to erase their memories. Then he would just return the Mind Stone here and leave. He could do that. He should do that. But this was already different timeline, where Loki never went back to Asgard with Thor. Was it too much to change it more? Changing the past doesn’t change the future, anyway. Bucky deserved happiness and freedom.

“He’s alive,” Steve said. “He’s known as the Winter Soldier—brainwashed and controlled by HYDRA. I met him in 2014 when SHIELD was revealed to be HYDRA.”

Natasha made a gasp at the recognition of the name and 2012 Steve looked at his older self, shocked. He couldn’t believe HYDRA still existed, let alone it was disguised as SHIELD.

“Wait, if SHIELD is HYDRA, then…?” Tony began to ask the question, only to be interrupted by…Rumlow and his agents. Older Steve tensed up. It was already too late to cover it up—there was two Steves in one place.

“We got a call that Loki was spotted on the 14th floor—” Rumlow began to speak and stopped as saw two Steves standing in the same room.

“…Hail Hydra, isn’t that right, Rumlow?” Steve said with a light smirk.

Before Rumlow or other agents could react, Steve kicked Rumlow and two other agents. He used the briefcase to knock another two agents out. The Avengers watched in disbelief as Steve continued to fight these HYDRA agents. Rumlow took out his knife and tried to stab Steve, but he was stopped by 2012 Steve—who simply grabbed Rumlow’s arm and twisted it so he would drop the knife. Then he punched Rumlow in the face, knocking him out.

“….That was for Bucky,” 2012 Steve said.

“Bucky is probably held in a HYDRA facility,” 2023 Steve said. “Interrogate Rumlow and arrest Alexander Pierce—he’s the head of HYDRA.”

2012 Steve simply nodded. The other Avengers were still in shock finding out that SHIELD was HYDRA and Steve just fought about 10 men and won quite easily.

“Didn’t we give Loki’s scepter to these guys?” Clint asked, looking down at unconscious HYDRA agents.

“We did,” Natasha said, shaking her head.

“Which I had to snatch it from them in the elevator,” 2023 Steve said. “You know, you guys were very, very naïve back in 2012.”

“Including yourself, Rogers,” Tony said.

“Yeah, but at least I had America’s Ass,” Steve smirked, looking at his past self’s face turning bright red.

Tony literally choked from laughing, Natasha just tilted her head in agreement, Clint simply nodded, Bruce and Thor looked at Steve with confusion.

Steve opened his briefcase and pulled out the yellow-glowing Mind Stone. He handed it to Tony.

“This is the reason I came here,” Steve said. “This is the Mind Stone—the one was in Loki’s scepter. It is an Infinity Stone, so I would be careful with it. Protect it at all costs.”

Tony nodded. He didn’t know what Steve was exactly talking about, but he was sure he would do some research later. Steve smiled.

“…Thank you,” 2012 Steve said. “For letting me know about Bucky. I will save him from them. I will never stop looking until I find him.”

There was determination in his eyes. Future Steve knew his past self wouldn’t stop looking for Bucky until he was safe and happy, just like Bucky from his timeline. Steve could picture Bucky being rescued from HYDRA base and living with his past self, just like the old times. A faint, relieved smile formed on Steve’s lips. This was for the best.

“…Til end of the line,” Steve said, nodding at his younger self.

Steve held his hand out. Mind Stone was returned—and it was safe in Avenger’s hands. Now that they knew about HYDRA, they wouldn’t give it away. Before he makes a time jump to another year, he still had Time Stone to take care of. Avengers—especially Thor—stared at Steve with confusion. Soon, Mjolnir—Steve’s from 2023—flew into his hand.

The Avengers’ jaws dropped. What did they just saw? Did Mjolnir—Thor’s hammer—flew into Steve’s hand? But how? Thor looked down at his own hammer. His was still in his grasp. There were two Captain Americas and now two Mjolnirs…Thor looked Steve and the hammer back and forth.

“…What the fuck?” Tony said. He couldn’t believe it. Capsicle was worthy?!

“Y…you can withhold my hammer? Since when?” Thor asked, who was unable to hide his surprise.

“Yes, since the Final Battle from my time,” Steve said. “Someone was trying to kill you, Thor, and…the hammer just moved.”

Thor looked half-proud and half-amazed at the fact that Mjolnir chose Steve as his owner. He has never, ever, seen a mortal withhold his hammer, let alone a simple soldier from Earth. The only other person who could lift the hammer was his own father, Odin. But from what Steve has shown so far, Steve seemed worthy of Mjolnir.

“That’s cool,” Bruce said.

“I’m still trying to understand what happened,” Clint said.

“Thor’s got a competition,” Natasha said.

“Capsicle is worthy,” Tony said.

Steve chuckled at the nickname—it’s been a while since he heard that from Tony, even if he was from the past.

“…Until next time then,” Steve said.

The Avengers waved goodbye to the future Captain—even 2012 Steve himself.

Steve flew away with Mjolnir through the open window, disappearing from the Avengers’ sight.

“…Now what was that?” Tony asked the rest of the team.

“The Future, dumbass,” Clint said.

“It was…mind-blowing,” 2012 Steve said, looking out of the window where his future self left.


	2. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve meets Ancient One and returns the Time Stone. While he's at the Sanctum, he struggles between going back to the past and staying in the present. Ancient One gives some advice to Steve, helping him to make up his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the turning point of Steve's choice of going back to the past and living the rest of his life with Peggy. Steve learns the value of time and makes his final decision.

Steve flew to the other side of New York, holding onto Mjolnir. He arrived at the rooftop of New York Sanctum, where the Ancient One was already waiting for him.

“Steve Rogers….Man out of time,” Ancient One said. “I suppose you are here to return the Time Stone?”

Steve nodded. Bruce had briefed him about Ancient One, so he wasn’t surprised when she was waiting for him to arrive.

“Yes,” Steve replied shortly.

Steve opened the briefcase and pulled out the Time Stone. He handed it over to Ancient One, who put it safely back in the Eye of Agamotto.

“…How did the future turn out for you?” Ancient One asked.

“Pretty well,” Steve said with a smile. “We won. As a team.”

Ancient One smiled back. She was glad that she lent the Stone to Bruce. It would’ve been on her if the Universe was left corrupted and dead. There were still five years left until Stephen Strange steps through the door of the Sanctum but she knew he would be the best. Sometimes giving up the best weapon was the only way to win.

“…I see that you’ve used the Time Stone,” Ancient One said. “You are the only other person to be able to do so besides myself.”

“It was our last standoff against Thanos,” Steve said. “Each of us grabbed onto a Stone and used its power against him.”

“It wouldn’t have worked if one of the Stones defied you. The Infinity Stones only work when they are wielded by the right person.”

Steve’s mind trailed back to the last moments of the Battle. After Thanos destroyed the van, every Avenger had clung onto him, trying to get the gauntlet off from his arm. Unlike five years ago, they succeeded. Each Avenger had a Stone in hand and blasted towards Thanos. Now that he thought about it, each Stone had a connection with an Avenger. Tony was always afraid of his vison of another alien invasion coming true—he couldn’t accept the reality and always was chasing the future. He finally got hold of the reality. His reality. Thor was easily one of the most powerful Avengers—even if he gained weight, he could use both Mjolnir and Strombreaker with ease. It was also Thor who survived when Thanos used the Power Stone to destroy the Asgardian ship five years ago. Clint had been mind-controlled by Loki in 2012, and he has been strong against any type of manipulation ever since. No doubt why Mind Stone went to him. Bruce was familiar with space and was there when the Tesseract was taken from Loki. Natasha, of course—she sacrificed her own life for the Soul Stone…

And now there Steve himself, who used the Time Stone. It probably went to him because he was most familiar with time jumps and since he was a man out of time…He looked down. Now he had the ability to time travel—that meant he could go back to 1945 or 1970 to live out his rest of his life with Peggy, the love of his life.

But then a thought crossed his mind: if the Stones only worked when they are wielded by the right person, why did they work when Thanos snapped half of life from existence five years ago?

“…Then why did the Stones work five years ago when Thanos wiped out half of living creatures?” Steve asked.

Ancient One formed a hologram of six stones in front of them.

“Each Stone,” Ancient One said. “is a powerful object. It controls an aspect of universe and that is why it is possible to change the universe with all six Stones if one wanted to. However, wielding all six Stones at once comes with a heavy price. That is why Thanos almost died when he used them. But if each Stone was wielded by a right person—then, all Six Stones together will be more powerful than one person wielding them without facing the consequences. The Stones chose you—the Avengers to save the universe.”

“If one of us wielded all of them, then that person would’ve died?” Steve asked.

Ancient One nodded.

“Yes, except for Bruce maybe, but…yes, it would’ve killed the others.”

Steve shuddered at the thought for losing one of the Avengers—he already lost too much and he couldn’t afford to lose another friend. He was so glad that Natasha came back to life. No one understood how and why but that wasn’t important. She was here, with her family….that’s all she needed.

The thought of family led to Peggy…a chance of having life with her, the life Steve never got to have. He really could go back and start a life with her. To go back to time he belongs. It wouldn’t affect the future at all…The world would still have Captain America in 21st century and the Avengers…Didn’t he save the world, now the universe? Didn’t he deserve his own happiness? For once?

“You are thinking about going back, aren’t you?” Ancient One asked. “To live the life you never got to have. A second chance.”

“How did you know?” Steve asked with a defeated smile.

“I see many things,” Ancient One said. “I may not be able to read one’s mind, I do know how to read one’s expressions. And you, Captain Rogers, are not good at hiding your emotions.”

Steve chuckled. He was never good at hiding his thoughts or his emotions. As Tony would call him, he was like a transparent person when it came to his thoughts and it wasn’t useful when most people knew what he was thinking before he did.

“I’ve heard that before,” Steve said. “The possibility of time travel and seeing Peggy right in front of me gave me this idea…of going back and living my life with her. As you said, I’m the man out of time. I don’t belong in the future.”

Ancient One shook her head.

“I understand you miss your past, Captain,” Ancient One said. “When I first called you man out of time, I didn’t mean it in that way. You are in the past, in 2012, right now. This isn’t your time. 1945 isn’t your time either. It is the past. The time you come from—2023—is your time. If you go back, you won’t see your friend Sergeant Barnes again. Are you telling me you’re okay with that?”

Bucky. She was right. If Steve decided to stay in the past, he would never see Bucky again. Maybe decades after, but he either have to see Bucky turning into the Winter Soldier and killing Tony’s parents or change the future so drastic to the point he can’t exist. Some people move on, but not us. Steve had told Natasha. But maybe it was time for him to move on. He’s one who’s telling people to move on, to get a life. It is hypocritical for Steve himself to linger in the past. He couldn’t throw away Bucky, Tony, Natasha….so many people, his family, were waiting for him in 2023. It would be too selfish to leave all of them for Peggy. No matter how much he missed her.

“No,” Steve said. “Thank you for reminding who my family is. I must go back to them.”

“You can’t change the past, Steve,” Ancient One said. “Creating another timeline will only leave you bitterness. Live in the moment. Live in the present.”

Steve nodded. He changed into his Quantum Realm suit.

“I think it’s time for me to move on,” Steve said. “Thank you.”

Ancient One simply smiled.

With his briefcase and Mjolnir, Steve soon disappeared in front of Ancient One’s sight.

“Farewell, soldier.”


	3. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Steve arrives at Asgard, he runs into another problem--he gets caught by the soldiers and is forced to into the same cell as Loki. He begins to see Loki in a different light and gives him some advice. After Steve is taken to Odin, he has to prove himself that he means no harm and worse, Frigga is again in danger of getting murdered by Malekith. What choice does Steve have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while! I was busy with exams at my school :(  
> This is probably the longest story for this series and my favorite because Steve's interaction with Frigga and Loki.  
> I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing the chapter. 
> 
> I'm also meeting Chris Evans at Seattle Ace Comic Con (is this REAL(ity?) so I was too excited to take that in!!!!

Steve was standing on a balcony—in Asgard. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. Thor has always told him it was a beautiful, gorgeous place, but hearing about it and seeing it was totally different. Asgard was absolutely beautiful—the palace was covered with gold, and Bifrost Thor always used was shining under sunlight. Arriving at Asgard made Steve realize Thor really was a god and a king, even though he was through one of his lowest points of his life right now. He was so in awe of spectacular view that he didn’t notice a figure was standing behind him.

“…You must be a friend of Thor’s,” the voice said gently.

Steve turned around and saw a beautiful woman in a blue silk dress walking up to him. Steve knew this was Thor’s mother instantly.

“Your Highness,” Steve said, with a bow. “I’m Steve Rogers. I’m here to return the Reality Stone.”

“Please, call me Frigga,” Frigga said with a smile. “Formality doesn’t suit me.”

Frigga looked at Steve—he was well-built and tall like Thor and could tell he was a natural leader. His blue eyes reflected sadness and bitterness, but there was also a hint of happiness as well. Her eyes stopped at Steve’s right hand—Mjolnir, Thor’s original hammer, was there. Frigga stared at Steve with surprise.

“I see that you’re holding Thor’s hammer,” Frigga said. “You’re worthy.”

“Oh, this…um…during the Final Battle, when Thor was in danger, it…just…came to me,” Steve said, hoping she wouldn’t be mad. “I-I didn’t mean to wield it. It just happened….and…”

Frigga put her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, son,” Frigga said. “I’m not accusing you. I’m just surprised. No mortal being has ever wielded Mjolnir. If you can use it, then there must be a reason. I’m proud that someone else other than Thor can wield it.”

Steve looked into Frigga’s eyes. Her gentleness and kindness traced Steve’s mind back to his own mother, Sarah Rogers. She was a kind woman too—and Frigga’s light blonde hair resembled his mother’s. Steve thought it is too tragic that she has to die very soon and thought of how Thor would’ve been devastated when she passed away. He wanted to save her, if he could. For Thor. For himself.

“He misses you,” Steve said. “Thor…he misses you every day.”

“There’s allotted time for everyone in this world,” Frigga said. “Even us Asgardians can’t change that.”

“We won,” Steve said. “Everything worked out well. We saved them. We brought those lost back.”

Frigga smiled at Steve. She patted him in the back.

“I’m proud of you,” Frigga said. “All of you. It must’ve been difficult fight.”

Steve nodded. He then opened the briefcase and pulled out the bright red Stone—Reality.

“I know it was originally in Jane’s body,” Steve said. “I do not know how to—”

At that moment, doors opened and several soldiers came in.

“Your Highness, we saw the rabbit thief coming in this way—” the general said.

He stopped talking when he saw Steve holding the Reality Stone in his hand. Steve sighed. Why there was a conflict every _single_ time he tried to return the Stones? First being mistaken for Loki, now he was being seen as the Stone thief—a traitor. Could his trip get any worse?

“Arrest him!” the general shouted.

“I didn’t steal it—” Steve tried to explain, but it was too late. Before soldiers saw Steve was holding Mjolnir, he dropped it behind him, so that he wouldn’t be accused for stealing the Stone AND Thor’s hammer.

“It’s going to okay,” Frigga said to Steve. “I’ll tell Odin what happened.”

The soldiers grabbed Steve’s arms, taking the briefcase away from him, and took him to the prison chamber. It was filled with all kinds of prisoners—including _Loki_. He was in the very first room to the left, and didn’t seem to notice Steve a all. He was reading a book in the corner. Steve sighed again. Wherever he went, he was always associated with Loki.

“Sir, there’s no empty room for him,” a soldier said.

“Your Majesty would want to see him right away,” the general said. “Put him where Loki is. It wouldn’t be long.”

The soldiers obeyed and Steve rolled his eyes. Great, now he was going to be stuck with god of mischief in the same room. They pushed him in and the room was sealed again with a barrier. That’s when Loki finally looked up from his book.

“… _You_? What are you doing here?” Loki asked.

Steve didn’t want to answer the question. He didn’t want to tell him that he was from the future. But there was no other explanation.

“I got captured,” Steve said. “For stealing the Reality Stone.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed.

“Wasn’t it inside Thor’s girlfriend?”

“Well, yes, but—Rocket and Thor extracted it from Jane and now I was supposed to return it,” Steve said.

Loki started to laugh. The laughter continued for so long that Steve thought imprisonment after New York invasion has finally made him lose his mind.

“You are _so_ honest, Captain,” Loki said, still laughing. “You’re not from here, aren’t you? Maybe…from the future, hmm?”

“How’d you know? Is that really obvious?”

“Unless you’re stupid like my brother, yes,” Loki said. “I may not have been in the right mind in New York, but I do remember what you looked like. You look older. Not much, probably because the serum, but older. The suit you’re wearing is also different. And why would Thor take the Stone away from his girl? _Unless_ ,” Loki pointed his finger up. “he’s from a different time. Then, everything falls into place.”  
  
For a minute, Steve was amazed at Loki’s reasoning and logic—he really was intelligent. With just a few clues, he managed to figure out Steve wasn’t from this time.

“You’re right,” Steve said, not believing he would ever say that to Loki. “We’re all from..2023.”

Loki looked at Steve with curiosity.

“10 years from now? Really?”

Steve nodded.

“Tell me, Captain,” Loki said. “How’s the future? Not that great, I presume, because otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

Steve hesitated. Loki was too smart for this—if he gave one thing away, he would figure out another. He was here to erase all the alternate timelines. But now he was stuck in a cell with Loki, him looking right through Steve as if he was a piece of glass. But Thor had already created an alternate timeline when he met his mother—this time Steve was in, was no where near as same as the original one.

“…Thanos killed you in front of Thor,” Steve said. Loki flinched at his name—he hid his emotions quickly, but Steve didn’t miss a hint of fear on Loki’s face. “Thanos’ plan then succeeds—he kills half of the universe. Five years pass, Thor blaming himself for the outcome and your death. We then figure out time travel, and decide to collect all six infinity stones and reverse what Thanos did.”

“….Did you win?” Loki asked, not meeting Steve’s eyes. He’s probably afraid to show how he’s feeling right now.

“Yes,” Steve said. “We won.”

“….That’s good, then,” Loki said. “My brother did something right for once.”

Steve felt bad for Loki—he knew he invaded New York all those years ago, but he was also mind-controlled by Thanos—he was a victim, just like Bucky was to HYDRA. Now here he was, stuck in this cell. He could see Loki loved and cared for Thor, although he tried not to show it. Steve knew this because this is how Bucky was before he was cleansed out of HYDRA’s murderous thoughts.

“Don’t waste your chance with Thor,” Steve said. “I know you care for him. So does Thor. This is a different timeline than the original one Thor told me about. So you can change it. You don’t have to die. You can be brothers.”

Loki looked up at Steve again, just staring at him. At that moment, soldiers arrived to bring Steve to Odin. As he was stepping out of the cell, Loki called him.

“…Captain.”

Steve turned around. Loki got up, and walked up to Steve and hugged him.

“….Loki?”

“Thank you,” Loki said. “For reminding me what’s really important. When you go back, tell the big oaf stop blaming himself. You won. So he avenged me. Tell him, sun will shine on us again.”

Loki let go of Steve. Steve then saw the true Loki—the man behind manipulation and evil. He saw a broken man, who was trying to make amends and cares about his brother. Steve smiled.

“I will tell him that.”

The soldiers escorted him out of the dungeons. They let him into a great hall, and at the end of it, Odin and Frigga were sitting down in golden chairs, Frigga nervously looking at Steve. 2013 Thor was standing next to some soldiers—looking confused and worried.

“You stole the Aether from the girl,” Odin said, looking down at Steve. “You are from Midgard, a part of the team to stop Loki, is that right?”

“I am from Midgard, Your Majesty,” Steve said. “But I didn’t steal it. Actually, your son from the year 2023 did.”

The soldiers and the council whispered. What was that supposed to mean?

“Explain,” Odin said.

“I am Steve Rogers. But from a different time,” Steve said. “10 years from now, the half of universe is dead from Thanos’ snap. We—the Avengers—figured out a way to reverse his action: Time Travel. We collected each of the Infinity Stones to bring everyone back. Now, I’m returning each of them to the time it was taken.”

“T…That’s impossible,” 2013 Thor said.

“It’s true,” Frigga said. “I’ve met my future son.”

Odin then turned to her. He then narrowly eyed Steve, still not convinced with what he had told him. Steve understood him—it would be difficult to believe that he was from the future, especially if he was caught holding the Aether.

“…Can you prove it?” Odin asked him. “Right now, it’s only your words against our witnesses.”

Steve knew there was only one way to prove that he wasn’t a thief. He held out his hand for Mjolnir. Everyone—especially Thor—stared at him. Soon, with a whooshing sound, Mjolnir came back into Steve’s hand. Thor opened his mouth and the soldiers and the council stared at Steve with absolute shock. Odin got up from his chair. Frigga stayed seated, lightly smiling down at Steve.

“I hope this is enough, Your Majesty,” Steve said, holding Mjolnir.

“You can wield Mjolnir?” Odin asked, shock clearly evident in his voice.

“…Since the Final Battle,” That was Steve’s reply.

Thor stared at him—that was his Mjolnir, but Steve was wielding it as if it was his own. Steve standing in front of him was very different from Steve he met in New York. At that moment, screams were heard outside of the hall. The doors opened, and Malekith was standing in front of them, holding a knife to Jane’s throat.

“Jane!!” Thor yelled.

“Make a move and the girl dies,” Malekith said. “Where’s the Aether?”

Instead of replying to Malekith, Frigga stepped forward.

“How dare you come into the Grand Hall!” Frigga yelled.

Malekith held up his left hand and threw a knife at her, and before anyone else, Steve caught it with one hand. Before Malekith could react to Steve, he aimed Mjolnir and fired lightening at him, his eyes glowing with blue for a few seconds. The lightening hit Malekith in the face, resulting in him screaming and letting go of Jane instantly. The soldiers arrested Malekith at that moment, seeing that he was defenseless. They took him away, as his screaming filled the Grand Hall.

“No mortal has wielded Mjolnir….” Odin said after the soldiers and Malekith were out of sight. “You’re cleared of your charges. Thank you for saving Frigga’s life, Captain.”

Odin addressed him as _Captain_ —a sign that he has respects for Steve now that he saw Steve could wield Mjolnir.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Steve said with a bow. “I did what I was supposed to do. This way Thor doesn’t have to live in a world without his mother. Please keep the Aether, the Reality Stone, at Asgard…if you want to protect it from Thanos.”

Odin nodded—he even smiled for a bit.

“Thor, trust your brother, Loki,” Steve said. “He’s a good man at heart.”

Thor nodded, slightly smiling that someone else other than Frigga noticed that. Steve then walked over to him and handed the Mjolnir back.

“…This belongs to you. It’s time to give it back.”

“But Captain, you can wield it, much better than myself,” Thor said. “It should—”

Steve shook his head.

“I only needed it for the Final Battle and to save your mother,” Steve said. “I only borrowed it. Please, take it.”

Thor took Mjolnir from Steve. Then, he hugged him tightly.

“You are a good man, Captain,” Thor said. “Thank you for saving my mother. I don’t know how to thank you.”

Steve’s thoughts trailed back to a hundred years ago, to a moment he will never forget.

_“Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. You will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”_

The first person that had trusted him—Dr. Erskine—had told him to be a good man. Even a hundred years later, it seemed like Steve kept that promise. He gave Thor a wide smile.

“Take care, Thor.”

When Steve and Thor broke apart, Frigga was waiting for him.

“Thank you….It’s been a pleasure for me to meet you, Steve,” Frigga said. “Tell your Thor I love him and that I’m alive in this reality.”

Steve nodded. He was happy that he got to save her—at least in this timeline. He soon pulled her into a hug.

“…Thank you, Frigga,” Steve said as he hugged her. “I’m happy I was able to save your life. Future Thor will be alright. I’ll look out for him.”

Frigga smiled.

“This belongs to you,” Frigga said, handing him back the briefcase. “Safe travels on your journey home.”

Steve nodded, and changed into the Quantum Realm suit. Next stop was Morag—the Power Stone. The images of Odin, Frigga, and Thor disappeared within seconds.

 

That night, Thor stood in front of Loki’s cell.

“Loki, listen to me,” Thor said. “You won’t believe what happened today.”

“Surprise me,” Loki said with a smirk. “Because I’m sure what I’m about to tell you will top yours.”

After both sides of story were finished, Thor and Loki were brothers again.


	4. Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve returns the Power Stone in Morag, but given his bad luck throughout the trip, he encounters Korath and his soldiers. He also meets Peter Quill along the way, who is smarter and more relatable than Steve previously thought. Peter learns the value of family.

Within seconds, the light, golden views of Asgard disappeared from Steve’s sight and were replaced with dark, deserted views of Morag. He had heard from Rhodey that it was _not_ a pleasant place to be, but Morag was far from what he had imagined. It seemed like there was no life he—

Steve was caught off guard by someone’s breathing by his feet. He looked down. It was Peter Quill—one of the Guardians who were brought back to life from the Snap. He was still knocked out and unconscious, which Steve thought was a good thing. He didn’t want to deal with introducing himself and explaining why he was here, holding a briefcase filled with three Infinity Stones. He silently passed Quill, heading to the temple where the Power Stone was originally kept. Thankfully, the temple was also empty, meaning Ronan’s soldiers haven’t arrived yet to get the Stone. In fact, Steve wasn’t sure if Ronan still existed in this timeline, since the entire Thanos’ army was gone.

He opened his briefcase and reached for the Power Stone, only to remember that it was deadly for any mortal being to touch it. Steve reached into his pockets, pulling out a metallic orb that Rocket gave it to him.

_“Now, be careful,” Rocket said. “We—the Guardians—barely survived when we touched the Power Stone. You will die within seconds if you touch it. Here, take this orb and use that to contain it. This is the original orb anyway.”_

Steve opened the orb, and put each side of it between the glowing purple stone and closed it. He then stood up and put the orb back in the container, restoring the electric barrier that was surrounding the orb.

 _That was easy,_ Steve thought.

As Steve prepared to leave, he was stopped by a group of soldiers—Ronan’s. Steve sighed. So Ronan’s army didn’t leave 2014 with Thanos. Given that he betrayed Thanos in the original timeline, it wasn’t that surprising that he remained in 2014.

“You! Stop moving,” One of the soldiers, Korath the Pursuer, said.

Steve turned around, putting both of his hands in the air. He was still in his Quantum suit, since it was not necessary for him to switch to his regular suit.

“Step away from the Orb,” Korath ordered him, still aiming a space gun at him. Steve did what he was told, not wanting to start a fight….. _yet_. “Who are you?”

“Just a traveler,” Steve said. “Look, I don’t even know what the Orb is for.” He lied.

He tried his best not to look down at the briefcase, because that would definitely draw attention. He met the soldier’s eye, trying to look as innocent as possible. But Korath’s eyes naturally followed to a silver briefcase that seemed out of place.

“Take him away,” Korath said. “And take that briefcase as well. Ronan might have questions for him.”

Several soldiers came towards him. But Steve wasn’t about to be captured by Ronan’s pawns, especially when he had already been held captive in Asgard. He didn’t to relive his prisoner experience. As the soldiers reached for the briefcase, Steve grabbed it and hit them in the face.

“…This is not for you,” Steve said.

He switched to his regular suit and fought off the soldiers easily, taking one of their weapons and firing it towards the others. One of them tried to drove a knife towards Steve’s chest, but Steve caught it first and twisted the soldier’s hand, breaking his arm. The soldier fell with a scream. Within a minute, Korath was the only one left, who looked slightly surprised and possibly, scared.

“The Orb,” Steve said, catching his breath. “isn’t for you nor Ronan. You don’t deserve it.”

“…So you _do_ know what’s in the Orb and what it does,” Korath said, aiming his gun at Steve. “You’ve underestimated—”

Korath never got to finish his sentence, because someone shot him from the behind.

“No, I don’t think so,” Peter Quill said, lowering his gun. “He will be out for about a half an hour.”

“…You didn’t kill him?” Steve asked.

Quill shook his head.

“Oh no, this is just a shock gun,” Quill said, holding the gun up. “I don’t really kill people at first sight if I don’t need to. By the way, who are you?”

“Steve Rogers,” Steve said. “I’m from Earth—Terra.”

Quill raised his eyebrow at Steve.

“You know about the term Terra? Have you been living in space for a while?” Quill asked.

“No, I still live on Earth,” Steve said. “I have some friends down there who’s from space.”

 _Your friends…your family_ , Steve thought.

“Yeah? What brings you all the way to space?” Quill asked.

“To return the….Orb,” Steve said. _He almost said the Power Stone_.

“You used it before?” Quill asked, with a hint of surprise and suspicion in his voice.

“Yes—”

Steve’s response was cut off by groans of Korath, who was reaching for his gun.

“Holy shit! How did he get up so fast?!” Quill exclaimed, running towards the Orb.

“I thought you said he’ll be out for half an hour!” Steve screamed back. _Quill can’t do anything right_ , Steve thought.

Steve kicked the gun to the side, but Korath grabbed his legs and pushed a knife down his thigh, making Steve fall down. Steve let out a groan. Quill was using the device to pull the Orb out of the barrier. He quickly put the Orb in his bag and aimed his gun at Korath.

“I don’t wanna shoot you,” Quill said. “But I will.”

“Give me the Orb, Ravager,” Korath said.

“I’m not—” Quill tried to explain. “I’m not a Ravager, okay? This is just an outfit. Name’s Peter Quill.”

“I don’t care,” Korath said. “Now, give _me_ the Orb.”

Quill aimed his gun at Korath’s leg and fired. He fell with a scream.

“Let’s go before he recovers,” Quill said, helping Steve up. Steve groaned every step he took. _Now he couldn’t walk on his own. He can’t time jump to next destination with this leg. Basically, he was stuck here until his leg healed._

It was a long walk to Quill’s ship, and it took twice as much time because Quill was basically carrying Steve.

“…Alright, I’m gonna look for some medicine around here,” Quill said as he set Steve down in the ship.

“Thank you,” Steve said. “You don’t have to help. I heal pretty fast.”

Quill looked down at Steve, as he continued to look through his pile of supplies.

“It’s been more than 20 years since I’ve seen a Terran,” Quill said. “It’s nice to have someone from _home_.”

“How did you come to space?” Steve asked.

Quill walked up to Steve with a vial with blue liquid in it. He handed it to him.

“Right after my mom passed away, I was kidnapped by a man named Yondu,” Quill said. “He ‘raised’ me. Threatened to eat me if I didn’t do certain things for the crew. Here, drink it. It’ll make the wound heal much faster.”

Steve took the vial and chugged the blue liquid down his throat. It immediately lessened the pain he was feeling.

“It feels much better,” Steve said. “Thank you.”

Quill stared down at Steve. He wanted to ask him about the Orb. He wasn’t sure if he heard it right, but Steve sounded like he knew _exactly_ what was in the Orb when he confronted Korath. He also did say he was _returning_ the Orb—from Earth. That meant the Orb has been in Earth for some reason. Quill wanted to know more about Steve—his name and origin weren’t enough. He needed answers. That’s part of the reason why Quill brought Steve all the way to his ship.

“…You know about this Orb, don’t you?” Quill asked. “I heard you taking to that guy. You said neither him or Ronan deserved it. You also said you were returning the Orb.”

Steve bit his lips. _So Quill wasn’t dumb as everyone’s been saying._ He saw there was no point in denying it. He still had two more stones to return to their original timelines, and he was defenseless in Quill’s ship. He had to tell the truth.

“I do,” Steve said. “I know what’s in it and what it does.”

“Alright, then,” Quill said. “Tell me about it. Because it looks like you do trust me.”

“The Power Stone lies inside the Orb,” Steve said. “It’s one of the Infinity Stones—one of the strongest weapons in the entire universe. If you have all six stones, you can wipe out the entire population in the universe. The Power Stone basically holds tremendous amount of power inside—but be careful, you cannot touch it with bare hands or you will die.”

Quill stared at Steve for a moment.

“…Wow. Wasn’t expecting that,” Quill said. “How do you know all this?”

“I’ve been through it,” Steve said. “I’ve seen what the Power Stone does. On Earth.”

Steve was trying not to tell Quill he was from the future. What he was telling him, was not a lie. _Yet._ But his answer didn’t stop Quill from asking more questions.

“How?” Quill asked. “How could you have know about the Orb? All the way from Earth? Not even people in space know what the Orb contains. But you, on the other hand, exactly knew what was inside the Orb. Something tells me that’s not a coincidence.”

Steve stayed silent. _Great, he figured that part out._ Now that left him with no choice but to tell him the entire truth. He looked down at his leg. It felt better, but he was no match to Quill who can shoot him in seconds.

“I come from the future,” Steve said. “Year 2023. In 2018, Thanos—the Mad Titan—wipes half of the living creatures in the entire universe. We—the Avengers—live in despair and guilt for the next five years. Until…..we found a way to reverse everything. Collecting each infinity stone at some point in the past and use them to bring everyone back.”

It was Quill’s turn to stay silent. He couldn’t believe what he was heard. Steve Rogers, a man from Earth—his home—was telling him that he is actually from the future where this Thanos guy wipes half of life. He wasn’t sure if he could believe him.

“….Did you succeed, then?” Quill asked.

“Yes. Quite like how you guys saved the galaxy with this,” Steve said, holding up the Orb.

Quill tilted his head. _Who were ‘you guys?’_

“I…I’m gonna save the galaxy?”

“Well, yes—if everything plays out the way it’s supposed to,” Steve said. “Look, either you believe me or not, don’t blame yourself.”

“…For what?”

Steve stood up, grunting. He picked up the briefcase from the ground.

“…For what happened and what will happen,” Steve said, patting Quill on the shoulder.

Steve switched to his Quantum suit. Steve pressed the next set of coordinates: Vormir—the very place Natasha died, or thought she did.

“Wait—!” Quill shouted. Steve looked up. “Please….don’t leave.”

“Now that work is done, I must return other stones to the point they were taken,” Steve said.

“I—I’ve been alone for 26 years,” Quill said. “During that time, I’ve never met anyone from Earth. Coming to space was against my will. I never knew who my father was or where he has gone after I was born. When my mother passed away….I lost all of my family. Please—stay. If I understand time travel right, you can probably travel to any point of time at will. Is it too much to ask to stay for a bit?”

Steve stared into Quill’s eyes. He was desperate—desperate for a family he never had. He was lonely and felt like he was entirely alone in the world. Just like Steve did at one point.

“I know how you feel,” Steve said. “The family you are looking for—you will find them. Very soon. Trust me, Peter.”

Steve then hugged Quill— _Peter_. It was like hugging a long-lost friend. Peter accepted his hug, hugging him back.

“….Will I see you again?” Peter asked.

“Possibly,” Steve said with a smile. He didn’t tell him that his past self was down on Earth, probably fighting off the Winter Soldier with Sam and Natasha.

Steve looked down at his coordinates and pressed the button. The sight of Peter vanished in front of him, replaced with blue space of Quantum Realm.

 

Peter stood there for a moment, staring at the place where Steve had just stood. _So, Time travel really exists._ He was startled by the noise above. Soon, a girl came down from the above, looking tired.  
  
“Peter? What happened?” The girl asked.

Peter scratched his head, not being able to remember her name. The girl frowned.

“Hey….I….”

“ _Bereet_ ,” Bereet responded coldly.

“Bereet! Look, I’m gonna be totally honest with you. I forgot you were here.”

What happened next is history. Well…for the most part.

 

“He is gonna be pissed when he realizes I switched out the Orb on him,” Peter said after Yondu’s ship left.

“He was gonna kill you, Peter,” Gamora said.

“I know. But he was about the only family I had.”

Gamora grabbed Peter’s hand and looked him in the eye.

“No. He wasn’t.”

When Peter heard those words, he _knew_ he found his family.

 _Thank you, Steve_. Peter thought. _You were right. I have a family_.

 

 _2018, Titan_.

“Why?! Why did you do it, Quill?” Tony Stark was shouting at him, for not being able to hold himself in front of Thanos. “We—we…could’ve gotten the gauntlet off of him, and now we lost the only store we had! We lost the Time Stone!”

“Stark—” Stephen Strange tried to calm Stark down.

“Shut up, Strange! Why couldn’t you—”

Peter couldn’t hold it anymore.

“BECAUSE THANOS TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!” He screamed at Tony. “I never, ever, had a family in my life…until Gamora and others came in. She was the very first person to tell me that she was my family. She was everything to me….and Thanos _murdered_ her. He fucking murdered my family. My _only_ family.”

Peter fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. Then, Steve’s words came back to his mind.

_Don’t blame yourself. For what happened and what will happen._

He looked up at Tony. They said they were the Avengers….so he must know Steve.

“…I’m sorry,” Peter apologized. “But I know we’ll win…Eventually.”

Tony looked down at Peter.

“You know, your giddy optimism reminds me of a guy I know,” Tony said with a grunt.

“…I trust _him_ ,” Peter said, getting up. “He said we would win…at the end.”

Tony tilted his head. _Why does it feel like Quill is talking about Steve Rogers?_

“Who did?” Tony asked.

“….A friend,” Peter said with a smirk. “His name….was Steve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the conversation between Tony and Peter didn't occur in the movie, but we all know we wanted to shout at him for ruining everything. This is the alternate timeline than the original one, so it makes sense if things turned out a little bit differently.


	5. Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes to Vormir to return the Soul Stone. There, he runs into a familiar face from his past and finds out the mystery behind Natasha's return. And maybe, he realizes he really should move on from his past life.

Steve landed at Vormir with a thud. Vormir, like Morag, was dark—but it was also breathtaking. The planet looked like the sun was setting—glimpses of red and orange colors filled the sky. Steve stood up, taking in the scenery for a moment. He has never seen anything like that before, given how little he was exposed to space. Travelling to space was considered normal now—they even have gone through time travel. Travelling back in time to collect the Stone seemed v ery  _ normal _ at the moment, probably because that was their second chance, their last shot to defeat Thanos. But now, standing on Vormir—Steve felt amazed how far he has come since his time in the 1940’s. Now to think of it, what  _ was _ his time? Was it the 1940’s? But that part of his life felt so behind now…

A voice behind him brought Steve back from his thought. 

“…Never thought I would see you again, Captain,” the voice said. 

Steve turned around—and saw someone that he never, ever thought would see again in his life.  _ Red Skull _ . Memories from the last moments on the plane came back to Steve’s mind. Steve remembered Red Skull grabbing the Tesseract with bare hands—then  _ dying _ . He…he was supposed to be dead. But he was the ‘red floating figure’ Clint mentioned. Before now, Steve never would’ve thought—not even a possibility—that that figure would be  _ Red Skull _ . Steve’s past was haunting him again….first Peggy, then him. He wanted to move on….but he couldn’t. Every time he tried to, some piece of past came back to him. Old Peggy….Bucky as the Winter Soldier….now this. 

“Y…you! I thought—” 

“Yes, you thought I was  _ dead _ ,” Red Skull cut him off. “Instead, I was transported here, to guard the Soul Stone, something I can never possess.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed at this. Red Skull guarding an Infinity Stone? But, he then noticed his arms were missing—he was almost like a ghost, rather than a person. He also didn’t show rage or hatred which he was full of 80 years ago. He looked—and felt— _ empty _ . 

“…You killed Natasha,” Steve said, glaring at the Red Skull. He—took away Steve’s 70 years of time. Yes, it  _ was  _ his choice to put the plane in the water, but none of that would’ve happened if the Red Skull didn’t set the plane for New York in the first place. Now learning the fact that he played a part in Natasha’s death...made him angry. 

Red Skull shook his head. 

“No. That was not my life to take,” Red Skull said. “For anyone to obtain the Soul Stone, you  _ must _ sacrifice a soul for a soul. And, if I believe, your friend is alive and well.” 

He was right. Natasha was back—she arrived at the Final Battle and they—all of six Avengers—defeated Thanos together. She wouldn’t say  _ how _ she came back to life. 

“How? You said it was everlasting exchange,” Steve said. “I thought that meant she cannot come back.” 

Instead of answering Steve’s question, Red Skull turned around and walked forward—all the way to the edge of the cliff. Steve followed him, but keeping his distance.

“…Throw the Stone over the cliff, and you will get your answer, Captain.” 

“How do you know I’m returning the Soul Stone?” Steve asked, tightening his grip on the briefcase.  _ He knows too much _ . 

“Because,” Red Skull began to speak. “Your friends were here minutes ago and the man has left with the Soul Stone in his hand. There isn’t a reason for you to come back here, right after he left…Unless, you are here to return the Stone. Given that you haven’t changed, Captain, you aren’t here for the greedy desire. You are here to return the greed.” 

Steve silently opened the briefcase and picked up one of the two Stones that were left. The Soul Stone glowed orange, just like the colors of the sky. He glanced at Red Skull, who was just staring at him. Steve pulled his arm back and threw the Stone over the cliff. Within seconds, blue swirls of light lit up in the sky, and Natasha was back on top of the cliff, catching her breath. 

“Nat!” Steve called, running up to her and helping her up. Natasha looked up at Steve and hugged him tightly, tears forming around her eyes. 

“Steve! Oh, Steve….” 

Steve hugged her back. He didn’t understand why she came back  _ now _ , if she was already back and alive in 2023. But he didn't say anything, and just hugged her back. 

“We...we thought we lost you,” Steve said after their long embrace. “We thought we will never get you back.” 

“H..how? What did you do Steve?” Natasha asked, worried that he might have done something stupid to get her back. That wasn’t why she sacrificed her own life. If she couldn't brought back to life, then the Avengers should’ve moved on. 

“I...I returned the Soul Stone,” Steve said. “To where it’s supposed to be.” 

 “The Soul Stone returned what it has taken,” the Red Skull said. “The reason I said it was everlasting exchange was because no one returned the Stone after its use. An Infinity Stone is a powerful weapon, more than you realize. Not many people would return one of the most powerful weapons in the entire universe even if they don’t need it.” 

“...But Natasha was already back at the Final Battle,” Steve said. “We didn’t return the Stone yet back then.” 

Natasha looked up at Steve.  _ What did he mean by she was back? Wasn’t she dead until this point? _

“Steve...what do you mean?” Natasha asked. 

“You...you were back,” Steve said. “During the Final Battle...right before Thanos got his hands on the gauntlet again, you appeared….and we, the six of us….defeated Thanos together, with each of Infinity Stones in our hands.” 

“I...I was dead. I don’t have any memory of that,” Natasha said, shaking her head. 

“Captain...you are forgetting something,” the Red Skull spoke up. Both Steve and Natasha turned towards him. “I believe you are from a different time. This is year 2014. The year you come from is in the future. Which means, you can send her to the exact point to the moment she appeared in your time.” 

That meant...Natasha was sent by  _ him _ , Steve himself. The Red Skull was right. Natasha still had her Quantum suit on her, and Steve had more than enough Pym particles on him. After the New York incident, he made sure he packed more than enough for this trip. Also, if anything goes wrong, he could always get more particles in 1970, which was his next and last destination. Everything was falling into place—now he finally understood  _ why  _ Natasha showed up in the middle of the Final Battle of all the sudden. Since Steve himself witnessed the entire Final Battle, he now knew exactly when to send Natasha to. 

“...He’s right,” Steve said. “I have enough Pym particles here—and you still have your Quantum suit with you. You have to go back to a certain point in time in the future.” 

“Are you sure, Steve?” Natasha asked. “You’re just gonna believe him?”

Steve put his hand on her shoulder. 

“No, but I thought about it,” Steve said. “It makes perfectly sense why you showed up at that exact moment. Because it was  _ me  _ that sent you. Trust me, Nat.” 

“I do, Steve,” Natasha said with a smile. “I always did and I always will.” 

Natasha changed into her Quantum suit. Steve punched in the coordinates and time to her suit and put one of the Pym particles into it. 

“...Where you going?” Natasha asked. 

“I still have the Space Stone to return,” Steve said. “I’ll meet you back at the compound.” 

Natasha stared into Steve’s eyes for a minute. 

“...Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“You only have the Space Stone left,” Natasha said. “Which means—you returned all other Stones...including Mind and Time. You’ve already been to New York….but you didn’t return the Space Stone there. Because you probably got it from a different time, since your original plan failed.” 

“...You are absolutely right. What’s your point?” 

“You are going where a part of your past is,” Natasha said. “To further back. Let me guess, you are going where Peggy Carter is.” 

Steve chuckled. He was sometimes amazed at how smart Natasha was. She figured out where he was going next  _ just  _ by hearing the word ‘Space Stone.’

“...You figured that out, huh?”

“Steve, I’ve known you for over 10 years. I know my friend’s thinking,” Natasha said. “You deserve it, you know. If you wanted to stay back with her, you can.” 

Natasha held Steve’s hand. 

“I know,” Steve said. “I could go back to ‘45 and settle down with her and have all that life I couldn’t have.”

“...So why don’t you?”

“...Maybe it’s time for me to move on from my past,” Steve said. “It’s a bit hypocritical for me to tell others to move on but I don’t. I’ve got a family—a family I never I would have in 2023. Peggy will always be my first love in my heart...but I can’t leave everyone behind….especially  _ you _ .” 

Steve realized how much Natasha meant to him after she died. She has always been his friend since 2014, when they uncovered the secrets of Winter Soldier together. Losing Natasha and a part of himself made Steve to look back to his past. He wondered if he would be happy in the ‘40s, where he grew up, where everything was old and familiar. But now seeing Natasha in front of him...he knew for sure he couldn’t go back. He got everything he needed right  _ here _ . 

“...Thought you wanted me to be just a friend,” Natasha said. 

Steve chuckled. So she still remembered  _ that  _ from almost a decade ago. 

“People change,” Steve said. “When I lost you….I thought I lost everything.”

Natasha looked up at Steve and gave a kiss on his cheek. 

“...You don’t get a proper one until you get the closure of your past,” Natasha said, with a light smirk. “Get that dance with her. You both deserve it.” 

Natasha then stepped back from Steve and was ready to leave—to go back to 2023, the moment of the Final Battle. 

“I’ll see you in a minute,” Steve said with a smile. 

Natasha returned the smile and was gone. 

Steve put on his Quantum suit and set the coordinates to his last destination—New Jersey, 1970. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter to "Traveling Through Time," but I've decided to write more! As you saw in the chapter, Steve and Natasha see a chance in their relationship, so next story will be focused on their developing relationship & feelings for each other. Thanks for all the love & support you guys have shown throughout the story so far and stay tuned for more!!


End file.
